Overview
Mr. Hovnatanian is the head of Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom’s Appellate Section. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a former Chief Staff Attorney of a Texas court of appeals, and a product of the nationally-renowned Appellate Advocacy Program at South Texas College of Law, where he won several championships and numerous individual awards. He handles civil appeals in state and federal courts across the nation. His appeals are frequently on the cutting edge of the law, recently in the areas of employment and the Texas anti-SLAPP statute. In addition to handling appeals and original proceedings, Mr. Hovnatanian frequently works with clients and trial attorneys on trial court matters such as law-intensive motions, charge conferences, and all types of error preservation.
Honors & Awards
Named to the Texas Super Lawyers list by Super Lawyers®, a Thomson Reuters business, as featured in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers magazines (2004-2020)
Order of the Barristers
Phi Delta Phi
Dean’s Student Advocacy Service Award, 1989
South Texas College of Law Outstanding Individual Advocate, 1988-89
South Texas College of Law Outstanding Individual Advocate, 1987-88
Professional Affiliations
Professional
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Texas Appellate Section
Houston Bar Association
Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section
News & Insights
News
Publications
Poetry in Motions: Motion Practice in the Courts of Appeals, State Bar Appellate Practice Institute, 1998
Motion Practice in the Courts of Appeals: What You Should Say and How You Should Say It, South Texas College of Law, 1997
Techniques of Persuasion: Drafting an Effective Legal Argument, Houston Bar Association Appellate Law Section, 1998 (Co-Author)
Practice Areas
- Amicus Curiae Briefs
- Analysis of Trial Record for Appellate Issues
- Appeals from Final Judgments
- Appellate
- Appellate Assistance
- Assisting Trial Counsel and Preservation of Error
- Interlocutory Appeals
- Jury Charge Preparation and Argument
- Petitions for Review
- Petitions for Writ of Mandamus
- Post-Verdict Motions
- State and Federal Appeals and Original Proceedings
Credentials
Education
South Texas College of Law, J.D. 1988
Baylor University, B.A., 1982
Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- Texas Courts
- United States Court of Appeals, Fifth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits
- United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
Employment
- Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P., October 2000 - Present
- The Holman Law Firm, P.C., October 1998 – September 2000
- Feldman & Rogers, L.L.P., May 1997 – September 1998
- Chief Staff Attorney, First Court of Appeals, January 1996 – May 1997
- Senior Staff Attorney, First Court of Appeals, May 1993 – January 1996
- Research Attorney, First Court of Appeals, December 1991 – May 1993
- Marshall, Gonzalez & Carlson, April 1988 – October 1991
- Lecturer in Appellate Advocacy, South Texas College of Law, 1989 - 2000
Certification
- Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization